The Inside-Out Approach to Positivity: Five Ways to Face Challenges Without Giving Them the Power to Define You
We tend to believe that external forces have the power to shape our lives. Not true. When we choose to live from the inside-out, rather than the outside-in, we can face even the most daunting challenges without getting pulled into negativity and pessimism.

By Jon Gordon

In a world dominated by negativity, how do you build a life around optimism and hope? After all, pessimism comes at us from all angles, from social media to the news to “naysaying” colleagues, friends, and family members. It’s all too easy to get preoccupied with challenges involving work, health, family, and other problem areas. But no matter what outside forces seem to be shaping your fate, you have the ultimate control over your thoughts and actions—and realizing this simple fact can transform your life.

People think success and happiness descend on them from the outside, but that’s not true. Your circumstances don’t have the power to define you. The power is on the inside. You can create your life—a great life—from the inside-out, not the outside-in.

When Superman took off his cape, who was he? People say he was Clark Kent, but no—he was still Superman. He was Superman on the inside. That’s where his power was.

True, external challenges, events, and circumstances exist—and we all have to deal with them—but they don’t have to drag you down into negativity and pessimism.

Let’s take traffic, for example. One day traffic really bothers you. Another day you are listening to a great song or podcast, you’re in a great mood, and the traffic doesn’t bother you. Is it the circumstance—the traffic—or your state of mind that is producing how you feel? Continue reading “Living Inside Out: How NOT to Let Circumstances Affect You”

By Dr. Gagan Bhalla

In the west, yoga has enjoyed an ever-rising popularity and acceptance for more than a century. It may appear mystifying to many that a tradition that traces its roots back to thousands of years and one that lays emphasis on spiritual rather than the material should find such tremendous resonance in a society that is quintessentially at the opposite end of the spiritual-material spectrum.

However, this seeming paradox has a simple and straightforward answer. In societies where materialism has held sway for hundreds of years, and scientific determinism has become a prevailing dogma, many fundamental answers about the individual’s mind, body and soul have, while over analysed, remained unanswered or unaddressed.

And that is where yoga, mindfulness and well being acquire importance. This is because material well being doesn’t automatically lead to mental equilibrium. As the adage goes, “Wealth is not happiness.” The extra bit that would satiate the mind and soul and enrich the body can be provided by yoga.

Yoga is essentially a spiritual discipline based on an extremely subtle science which focuses on bringing harmony between mind and body. It is an art and science for healthy living. The word ‘yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘yuj’ meaning to join. According to yogic scriptures, the practice of yoga leads to the union of an individual’s consciousness with the universal consciousness.

According to scientists, everything in the universe is a manifestation of the same quantum firmament. One who experiences this oneness of existence is said to be ‘in yoga’ and is termed as a yogi who has attained a state of freedom, referred to as mukti, nirvana, kaivalya or moksha.

Yoga refers to an inner science comprising of a variety of methods through which human beings can achieve union between the body and mind to attain self-realization. The aim of yoga practice is to overcome all kinds of sufferings that lead to a sense of freedom in every walk of life with holistic health, happiness and harmony.

Yoga expects two Ds from the practitioner – dedication and discipline, everything else can be self-taught. As the Indian Prime Minister Honourable Narendra Modi has said, “Yoga is an invaluable gift of ancient Indian tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature and a holistic approach to health and well being. Yoga is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with ourselves, the world and Nature. By changing out lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us to deal with climate change.” Continue reading “Finding inner equilibrium through yoga”

College Grads: Survive “Real Life” By Being Yourself
by Brian Connor, author of From Bud To Blow

College life is fake life. Class three hours a day (if you even go), nothing on Fridays, smoking and binge watching an entire TV show or drinking till bar close on a Tuesday. It’s a young adult utopia. So how do you transition out of that? How could you possibly survive in the real world? Simple. Tone it down a little.

People act like leaving that lifestyle is some big mystery. I go on recruiting visits to different colleges and get asked all the time “how do I prepare myself for the real world?” or “what can I do to better myself moving forward?” And I just look at these kids and want to tell them “well I’m hungover as shit sitting here right now, so you tell me?” As if I volunteered to go on the recruiting trip to actually recruit and not just drink on my company’s dime at a college campus again. And let’s not even talk about the recruiters themselves. Most were such big partiers in college they couldn’t get the actual job, so they joined the recruiting team.

At some point the phrase “the real life” was created, and since then people have looked down on college kids like they are these incompetent and immature idiots. But how long has it been since you were on the other side of that hate? One year? Three years? Weren’t we all those college kids at some point?

See, the biggest problem I have with “real life” is that the people are actually fake. You can call college life fake all you want. Because it is. It’s a bubble that 18-22 year olds live in for four years, then it pops and they go back to having normal schedules and responsibilities. So sure, it’s fake. But what you can’t say is the people themselves are fake. They are as real as it gets. If I had a group project in college, there was no beating around the bush with scheduling. We would tell each other if we had party plans, admit if we were hungover, call people out if they didn’t do their work, we were real. And we always got everything done on time.

In “real life” people walk around the office like robots and act like they’ve been these true-blood professionals their entire lives. It’s as if their personality is sucked from their body every time they walk in the office. But just three years ago those same people were probably Googling if their company drug tested while waiting to be interviewed by a hungover recruiter. So what happened in three years? Where did their personality go? You ever wonder why company parties get out of control? Because the alcohol turns everyone back from robots to real. And people just aren’t used to being real in the real world.

So ok, yes, you will have to adjust to waking up before noon on a weekday. But you did that from ages 6 to 18. The only difference is now you’ll be getting paid to wake up early. So you’ll live. All you need to do is tone it down a little. Party twice a week not four times. But even then, the older you get the less you want to party. That’s not just Hollywood talk about “getting old.” That shit’s real. It’ll hit you too. Continue reading “Advice for College Grads on Adjusting To “Real Life””